It is not a post for or against refugees

Have you heard about magdas hotel? It is a unique place which staff is composed of refugees from many different countries. However, it is not a social assistance project, they are legal workers and they earn normal salary.

www.magdas-hotel.at

Magdas hotel is situated in Vienna in Austria. Its slogan is “stay open-minded”. They employ refugees in order to give them chances for a better life. Majid from Iraq, Dinnis from Guinea-Bissau, Maryam from Marocco – they could find an asylum there and start a new, normal life. They are members of persecuted religious minority or political refugees, they flee civil wars and poverty. They can earn their living there by cleaning rooms and cooking breakfast.

The hotel is located in an old building established in 1960s. It has been restored and designed by architecture firm with the help of Caritas and now it looks very modern, minimalistic and elegant. No surprise, then, that it attracts guests. All the more reason for visiting it is a relatively low cost of renting a room. And the restoring of the hotel was not an expensive venture because the most of the furniture is up-cycled: tables and nightstands are made from in-built closets, while coffee tables and shelves are made from  desk tops from an art school. It seems that furniture from magdas hotel is thought to start a new life, just like its staff.

goodmeetings.com

So it is an extraordinary hotel, which aim is to promote creation of opportunities. But on the other hand, it functions as every other hotel. You can read more about it here:

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/may/21/vienna-madgas-hotel-staffed-asylum-seekers

and here:

http://www.psfk.com/2015/07/austrian-hotel-for-refugees-magdas-hotel-alleswirdgut-caritas.html

Saudi Arabian Women Unveiled

Last time, I came across a documentary by Vice about Saudi women. More precisely, it is about Ziyah Gafic, a photographer who decided to “photograph them  [Saudi women] and interview them in their private spaces”. And the video tells the story of his project.

 As I do not know much about Saudi Arabia (and much less about the women), I was very curious to watch it. That also encouraged me to get to know more about the country itself.

One of the most significant facts about Saudi Arabia is that it was a Muslim kingdom from its origins. After conquering successively regions in central Arabia, Ibn Saud established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1932 with Sunni Islam as the official religion. He declared himself a king. Since its origins, the state has had six kings. They all originate from the House of Saud.

The influence of strict religious rules has been considerable until now, which is visible in the clothing, among others. As we know, Saudi women generally go outside dressed in abaya - long, black dress. One of the women explains: “For every occasion, we do have different kind of abaya. Fashion designers, they would have business only to sell abaya and women of course like it”. She says also that they have their favourite fashion designers and patterns.

However, in the video, we see women without cover, sitting in their houses and telling about themselves.

It is interesting to learn that they are successful writers or businesswomen. They express opinions about their work, their life and the society they live in. One of them said that “Saudi Arabia is an advanced country and it’s keeping with the rest of the world”. She regretted that many people think negatively about the country. “But if they visited Saudi Arabia, they would definitely change their perspective”. She also tried to convince that Saudi women are not oppressed, they are like the other women. “A lot of people think they are tempered. But the truth is they are very active but behind the scenes. (...) I consider achieving a lot.” – added the other one.

“All of the women we met, they all work and they all have college degrees”, said Ziyah Gafic. He is right: they speak English, they run their own businesses, they seem self-confident and optimistic. Even if they probably do not represent all Saudi women, it seems that the stereotypic image of Muslim woman is not entirely true. On the other hand, I would like to know more also about the rest of the Saudi women, without college degrees and who do not work. I am sure their stories would not be the same.

“If the issue that we are dealing with is that Muslim woman is underrepresented in the media, then I wanted to dedicate my attention to her.”, said Ziyah Gafic. I think he achieved his aim.